Hoop and guide stick



June 7, 1966 M. D. OLSON 3,254,443

' HOOP AND GUIDE STICK Filed 001:. 21, 1963 FIG. I. FIG. 2. FIG. 3.

30 FIG. 4. 24

FIG. 6.

36 MAYNARD 0. OLSON FIG. 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,254,443 HOOP AND GUIDE STICK Maynard D. Olson, 4622 N. Clifi St., Sioux Falls'4, S. Dak. Filed Oct. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 317,717 1 Claim. (Cl. 46-220) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to hoops and guide sticks therefor which may be easily manipulated by children.

The invention contemplates a hoop and guide stick therefor wherein the hoop may be formed of a length of solid plastic material having its ends joined together by means to be hereafter explained and wherein the guide stick may be made of similar material molded to the desired shape or of lightweight metals, wood or rubber compound, or a combination of these.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hoop and guide stick therefor which may be easily manufactured at very low cost.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hoop and guide stick wherein they may be formed oflengths of solid plastic material of substantially circular cross-section.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hoop meeting the above objects including novel and effective means for joining the ends of the plastic material together.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a guide stick for a hoop which is particularly easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a guide stick for a hoop which is of a configuration particularly effective in guiding the hoop.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unique type of guide stick for'a hoop wherein a parent or other adult may more easily assist a child in learning to manipulate the hoop.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a hoop such as that used in my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the hoop of. FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of a portion of the hoop of FIGURE 1 showing the means for connecting the ends of the plastic material together.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a guide stick made according to my invention.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the guide stick of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the guide stick of FIG- URE 4, and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the that it is beneficial to the operation if the hoop is of significant weight, and for this reason I prefersolid, rather than tubular, plastic. This, of course, creates a problem in the joining of the ends. This may be accomplished as shown in FIGURE 3, which is an enlarged view of the portion of hoop 10 showing the junction of the ends in section, by drilling a pair of passageways 12; 14 a short distance into each end of the length of material selected, after which the length of plastic is pulled around a cylindrical form, not shown, and a fastening member 16, of slgihtly larger diameter than the drilled passageways, is forced into each passageway. It will be observed that fastening member 16 consists of a roughly cylindrical member, which may be of steel or other suitable metal, having a series of sharp annular ridges 18, 20 which act to allow the member 16 to enter the passageways 12 and 14, respectively, but which resist being pulled out again.

Once the hoop is assembled it is very solid and secure and cannot easily be taken apart or forced out of its circular shape.

The guide stick for the hoop 10 is shown in FIGURE 4 at numeral 22. It consists generally of a handle 24 and a head 26 for contacting the hoop. Both handle and head may be of a single piece of molded plastic, such as polyethylene plastic, or the handle and head may be of different materials. One very simple structure would be a wooden handle with a head of light metal or plastic riveted thereto or fastened by other suitable means. Operation of the toy may be greatly facilitated by the use of my particular configuration of guide stick.' The head 26 is attached to the handle 24 such that it bends downwardly at a substantial angle (such as 30-40) from the handle. As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, the head 26 consists. of a cross-member having a pair of short projec tions 30, 32 extending at an angle (such as 45) from each end so as to prevent the hoop from sliding off of the ends of the cross-member. The actual hoop-contacting surfaces of head 26 should be rounded somewhat to afford smooth contact with the hoop.

It is desirable that the handle 22 be as light as possible consistent with reasonable rigidity. Where a molded plastic is used, a T-shaped cross-section, as shown in FIG- URES 5 and 7, provides a reasonably rigid handle with a comparatively small amount of plastic.

A modification which may be made to the handle 24 is v to form it with a slight bend at its outer end so that a short section 36 projects to the right (or left, if the operator is left handed) to enable the child to grasp it more easily without imparting an angularity to the contact of the head with the hoop. Alternatively, the child may grasp the handle below the bend, thereby permitting the parent or other adult to assist the child in learning to manipulate thehandle.

Many motions of the hoop can be evolved after some practice with the device. While the.hoop is preferably formed of a plastic such as polyethylene plastic, the guide stick may be formed of any of several materials or combinations of materials, as set forth above. Numerous modifications may be made, and the present invention is not to be limited except as required by the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A toy comprising, in combination, a hoop and a guide stick therefor for rotating and guiding said hoop in a desired path, said hoop comprising a length of solid plastic material of substantially circular cross-section, and means joining the ends of said material together including a cylindrical member of substantially less diameter than said material having sharp annular ridges the sides of which are angled to permit easy entry into said ends but which resist being pulled out of said ends;

3 4- and said guide stick having a handle portion and a References Cited by the Examiner head portion, the said handle portion including a UNITED STATES PATENTS length of lightweight material with a strengthening rib running along a substantial portion of its length 11996355 4/1935 chewnghtand including a section at the end opposite said head 5 217381619 3/1956 Oqulst 46220 portion which is formed at an angle to the main 2,984,937 5/1961 Rendon 46-220 handle portion, and said head portion including a $078,620 2/1963 Fry et a1 straight section formed integrally with said main handle portion perpendicular thereto, and bent down- RICHARD PINKHAM Primary Emmmer' wardly out of the plane of said handle portion, said 10 F. B. LEONARD, Assistant Examiner.

straight section including a short projection extending forwardly at an angle from each end. 

